2021 Napoleon Bees ‘N’ Design 1oz Silver Proof
£99.00
| THE 2021 NAPOLEON N DESIGN 1OZ SILVER PROOF COIN ONLY 1000 COINS AVAILABLE WORLDWIDE Napoleon Bonaparte is recognised as one of history’s great military strategists. A hugely ambitious leader, he conquered much of Europe in the early 19th Century. After disastrous defeat in Russia in 1812, he was exiled to Elba, only to return triumphantly to France less than a year later. His return was short lived however, and his Hundred Days campaign ended in defeat at Waterloo. Forced to abdicate, he was exiled once again, this time to St Helena, an island in the South Atlantic tropics owned by the East India Company, where he died in 1821. Now, we mark the 200th anniversary of his death with a new coin design that pays tribute to the small but powerful icon of his mighty Empire: Napoleon’s Bees. *** PLEASE NOTE THIS PRODUCT WILL BE SHIPPED |
Details-
| To help establish his reign as the new Emperor of France, Napoleon wanted to replace the Fleur de Lys as the main national symbol. It was so strongly connected to the dynasty that came before, and he wanted something new. To step into the future, he first looked history. The Merovingian Kings had established and expanded the kingdom of France in the 5th Century. The tomb of Childeric I has been discovered in Belgium in 1653 and buried alongside him were 300 tiny golden bees. Napoleon saw these symbols of immortality and resurrection as a credible connection between his new Empire and the ancient Merovingians. Hard working, diligent, harmonious. The bee was perfect; this was to be his icon. He included bees in his Coat of Arms, used them as a pattern in robes, curtains and carpets, and integrated them into the chain of the Legion d’honneur, an award created during Napoleon’s reign which remains France’s highest honour to this day. |
Specification
Coin Name: 2021 NAPOLEON BEES MONOGRAM ‘N’ DESIGN 1oz SILVER PROOF
Alloy: 999Ag (Fine Silver)
Denomination: £1
Weight: 1oz
Issuing Authority: St Helena
Diameter: 38.61mm
Issue Limit: 1000
Total Mintage: 1000
Delivery & Returns
Delivery OptionsUK Standard Delivery: £5.95
UK Next Day Delivery (mainland UK only): £9.95 (Order before 12pm)
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| THE INSPIRATION BEHIND THE DESIGN – NAPOLEON BEES While this anniversary coin design is decorated with a pattern of tiny bees, it has Napoleon’s monogram at its heart. The letter ‘N’, which would have been very simple in print, is given a more organic feel here, inspired by the sculpture of Ancient Greece. The monogram is surrounded by Napoleon’s bees and sits beneath the crown from his coronation in Notre Dame. Fittingly the issuing authority is St Helena, the island where Napoleon died 200 years ago in May 1821. |
